May 12
AFGHANISTAN:
News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International
AI Index: ASA 11/006/2005 12 May 2005
Afghanistan: Calling for fair and thorough investigations for crimes
against women
Amnesty International calls on the Afghan government to ensure that the
recently announced investigations into the deaths of four Afghan women, in
separate incidents in northern Afghanistan, are conducted thoroughly,
impartially and without undue delay. The Afghan government has an
obligation to demonstrate its intention to uphold the rule of law and end
the culture of violence through which women continue to be targeted and
victimised.
On 1st May 2005, the bodies of three Afghan women were found on a roadside
in the northern town of Pul I Khumri, Baghlan province. The victims were
reportedly raped and strangled. The exact motive for the killings is as
yet unclear despite the discovery of a note close to the bodies which
allegedly linked the killings to the women's association with NGOs in
Afghanistan. Media reports state that the Afghan Youth Convention has
claimed responsibility. Amnesty International calls for thorough
investigations of these killings by the Afghan state, regardless of claims
of responsibility by any agency.
Amnesty International has consistently highlighted concerns about grave
human rights abuses and violations directed at women and has decried the
continuing impunity of those responsible. In May 2005, the organisation
raised the case of 29-year-old Amina from Badakashan province, sentenced
to death by stoning. The ulema (local religious council) is alleged to
have ordered her extra-judicial execution after she was found guilty of
adultery. Latest reports suggest that Amina was initially stoned and
eventually beaten to death. Amnesty International is aware that a number
of individuals in this case have been arrested, including the head of the
ulema but fears that they will not be brought to justice. To date, the
Afghan government has rarely investigated crimes against women and has
displayed a poor record in ensuring that serious efforts are made to hold
to account perpetrators of grave human rights abuses.
Background
Amnesty International has long been concerned about the effectiveness and
capacity of the criminal justice system when conducting investigations of
human rights violations and abuses. The organisation has documented a
pattern of human rights violations committed by the police and judiciary,
including unfair trials; use of torture; the application of the death
penalty; and the high level of discrimination and denial of access to
justice, particularly those faced by women.
The Afghan government faces the enormous task of guaranteeing protection
of human rights and to ensure the implementation of measures to establish
the rule of law. It has a duty to ensure that perpetrators of such
appalling crimes are properly investigated and punished. Amnesty
International is pressing for successful prosecutions that would send a
clear message that violence against women will not be tolerated by the
state.
View all documents on Afghanistan at
http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadvDgabgT5Kbb0havb/
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